Poop on the loop

Today's walk rewarded us with ponies. Who can resist? All these were mares, with babies on the way.

There were different varieties, but all contributed to piles on the roadside. Just in time, as last year's piles had been reduced to almost a monolayer. Grass ==> pile ==> grass ==> pile ==> grass: it's the never-ending story of ponies.

A neighbor tells us that the nasty beasts step on bird nests, however. He tells us the ponies are "invasive." I think that means something like "they came fairly recently and I don't like them." People here think that the Phragmites reed is also "invasive." Phragmites reeds were here before anybody visited from Europe, according to Wikipedia. It turns out that they are pretty good at chemical warfare, sending out gallic acid to kill neighboring plants. I kind of like their feathery tops. They don't bother me too much, but our association has pulled them out anywhere they were found.

I'm glad the English and Europeans did not pull them all out. I really like thatched roofs, which are often made from this reed.

The ponies generally ignored us, as we had no carrots. "Assateague ponies are wild animals. They kick and bite, " says Mother Government. I've got news for you. Even when the ponies are domesticated, they still kick and bite. Horse-shaped animals can be pretty disagreeable when they want. That said, they all like carrots.